The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-28
CLOUDS IN THE LABOR SKY
An Unbroken Record of Defeat in the
Irrcpressible Conflict with Capital.
Serious Discord in the Ranks, and Bitter and
Open Hostilities Between Factions-The
Outlook from a Political Point.

ordinary numoer or failures or great strlkes
An equally bad record can not be- found at any
other time of the Striking epoch" through
which we passing. do not refer to
small strikes, which are too numerous to be
counted, and which are lost or won without af-
fectine the general course of business; but to
huge and sweeping affairs, bearing upon whole
trades and ten of thousands of workers. Dur
ing the past week. for example, we have had
news of the collapse Of the great shoemakers'
strike in Massachusetts, which has lasted nearly
half year, and kept out 5000 operatives; and
of the strike in the building trades at
Chicago which kept out twice many: and Of
the silver workers strike here and elsewhere,
which kept out only small force, but was a test
for whole business; and of the coke work
ers in Pennsylvania, which kept out 6, 900 men.
In other words, during the past week more than
30, 900 strikers have surrendered; and, in some
cases, as in that of the Massachusetts shoe
makers, pretty hard terms have been imposed
upon them. At this moment the steel and IRON
workers of Pennsylvania have locked horns
with their employers on the question of advauc-
ing wages 10 per cent; but the threatened strike,
which would draw in 20, 900 men, is likely to be
averted by the conference between the workers
and their employers.
Through all the weeks of this war the record
has been of the same somber hue for every class
of strikers, the whole country over. The war
opened in this vicinity with the strike OF tho
coal handlers, out of which grew those "sympa-
thetic strikes" which fluttered till March, and
left 40 600 men out of work The bad luck of
January has continued till June, which is clos
ing without single important victory, to Illus
trate the gloomy record of 1887.
OF course, such q record is calculated to pro-
duce rackets, bolts and revolts in the labor or
CARNATIONS, and the heaviest crop of them ever
yet known is now crowding the labor field. In
this city the celebrated sd. A. No 49," of the
Knights of Labor, which boosted of seventy
thousand members last year, is cracking like the
thorns under Solomon's pot, and splitting like a
skyrocket in mid-air. 1t was responsible for the
coal handlers strike in January, and for the
silver workers strike in June well as for
nearly all the strikes between these two, and
the disappointed men have naturally turned
against the source of their msfortunes. More
than q quarter of the total memb ership has
fallen off. and over half of the eight hundred
assem- bies have struck an attitude Of defiance
toward their executive board. Assessments
main unpaid In numerous cases, subordinate
officers thrown ont under various pretexts,
and both wholesale and retail accusations of
the leaders Besides the shortage from
non payment. of dues, large sums
of money missing from the treasury, and
while Dunn accuses Quinn Quinn accuses
Dunn, and the committee of investigation finds
leakaees that are leading to unexpected quar-
tiers. The silver workers say they did not get
strike. and the same accusation is brought BY
other bodies of strikers, while all complain Of
assessments that are too heavy for their members.
Then the six thousand expelled members of the
carpet-workers' district are tanning the fires
of rebellion, and the four thousand revolving
members of the Montauk district are in the
lead of the gathering host Of malcontents. Add
to these things the grumbl among the print
ers, the strife with several of the leading trade
unions, and the battle that was begun with the
federation of labor. and it will be that the
labor N
rs I'd. A. 49," is in danger of laundering among
the reefs upon which it has been driven by the
squalls. All this is largely owing to the
nevex-ending plots OF inner ring styl-
ing itself the Home Club, ~wh1sA Eas7
been dragged from It's hiding place by the press.
and which has secured strange ascendency over
Mr.. Powderly and the councils Of the order, 1t
has for several years ruled with iron rod the
great labor organization in this city, and has
worked things to the advantage of it's own mem
bers in a way that can be accounted for only by
the peculiar circumstances under which organ
izea labor has been placed. The end of all is ap-
preaching and the signs of tho end to be
seen on every hand by those who know what is
going under the surface.
AS it is here, it is in other localities in
which have occurred these great failures of
strikes already noted. In Chicago the chief Ia
Dor organization, D. A. No. "a. has been the
verge of revolt ever since Mr.. Powderly sup
pressed the great packing house strike near the
close of last year. The building trades which
have Just been on strike do not belong to the
Knights of Labor. but their failure has added to
the general ferment of discomfort and disorder.
TIL Brick-ayers' Union is practicallyldefunct
and all that can be looked for by its friends is
that some of the pieces may be saved by the ma
tional convention, which Is to meet in Chicago
tomorrow.
Again. in Massachusetts,, D. A. No. 80, which
includes the majority of organized workers in
the State. has been thrown on its back and
flung into bankruptcy by the failure Of the shoe
makers strike. It was officially announced
week ago that its treasury was empty, and that
the operators would have to accept such terms
1fo1f limo Fhau
have hurried back to work during the past week
in gloomy spirits. but under the necessity which
knows no organization nor any law. shower
of Parthian arrows has been hurled into the
retreating forces by the Lasters' Protective
Union, ancient enemy of the Knights of
Labor. which accuses them of making an Tin
glorious surrender" under incompetent leader
ship.
On the heels of these things comes the report
from Pittsburg concerning the adverse action
OF the most formidable trade-union in the United
States, the Amalgamated Association of Steel
and Iron workers, which has almost unanimous
ly adopted a resolution prohibiting any of its
members from joining the knights of Labor.
This is the final result of the disputes which
have been raging for over q year past, and which
have grown out of accusations Of Interference
with the associations business by officers OF the
Knights of Labor. The association at Pitts
burg went still further. and united its fortunes
with the National Federation of Labor,
which WAS recently founded on the antagonism
to Mr.. Powderly's order.
Troubles never come singly, according to the
old proverb, and they have lately appeared to be
rushing into the labor camp by troops and bat
talions AS if the assaults of the combined or
com bining capitalists, backed by the hosts of
surplus labor" were not enough, the leaders of
all organizations fall foul of each other and their
followers rush into scrimmages among them
selves
There is the same condition of things in the
''politcs of labor" at least in the State Of New
York. where three rival labor parties are now in
the field. There is the George party
of United Labor. which carries the
tradition of last Novembers vote for its candi-
date in this city, and holds It's State convention
at Syracuse on the 18th of August there is the
Union Labor party, which was founded at Gin
cinnati last February, and holds its convention
for this State the 10th day of August, and
there is the Workingman's State Assembly
old organization which has not yet fixed the date
for its State convention of the present year.
The strength of the first party, which takes
the LAND value tax as its legend. is mainly
confined to this city The strength OF the
second party, which fiaunts the notices of